2010:365:210 The "Twenty One Acre Wood"

It was the owner of a whippet/lurcher who told me about it.  Her dog was also once an Assisi rescue puppy and we enjoyed a little conversation at Crawfordsburn this morning.

Eliot had been on the lead the whole time.  It's not that he is too bothered by it ... just that I prefer him to have the freedom to run and get proper exercise when that's possible.  

The ammonite didn't interest him particularly until I put some crumbs from a treat on it ... 

... the only trouble being that he'd snaffled them all by the time I had the camera at a good angle so getting his picture while he licked round a prehistoric fossil wasn't altogether the success that I'd planned.

At ten o'clock folk were already beginning to make sandcastles on the beach and Eliot kept wanting to go and investigate them.  Not a good idea.

He'd had a paddle; indeed, at one point the water became deep quite quickly and took him by surprise!

And that's when we heard about the "21 Acre Wood"!  Isn't that a magical name?  It sounds like something from a Harry Potter story, or an Enid Blyton adventure.  "Liz and Eliot explore the 21 Acre Wood". 

So, following the directions we headed off to the entrance.

What a place.  The green sign indicates that dogs may run freely.  Bliss.

Up and down the path, in and out among the trees, Eliot had the time of his life!  

There's not a sound except for the occasional train on the Bangor line.  In the "21 Acre Wood" you're well away from the main part of Crawfordsburn with the beach and barbecue noises.  Here you're alone in the stillness.  The verse from Psalm 23 came to mind, "He shall refresh my soul and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."  This is such a refreshing place.

It overlooks Belfast Lough and large meadows surrounded by trees have the perfect combination for a dog who likes to run and an owner who enjoys taking photographs!

The only other walkers that we saw said that the paths become muddy in bad weather - and there were certainly places where the ground was very soft today - but I guess you just wear suitable footwear and plan to give the dog a shower when you get home!  Their long haired collie would have loved to run but is recently out of surgery.  It seems that Eliot must have sensed that she couldn't play and he didn't annoy her at all.  They just sat and watched each other on either side of the path. 

Refreshed and restored we're now back home, the 365Project photograph has been posted and the blog is almost completed.  A good day!

May the strength of God pilot us,

may the power of God preserve us,

may the wisdom of God instruct us,

may the hand of God protect us,

may the way of God direct us,

may the shield of God defend us,

may the host of God guard us against the snares of evil and the temptations of the world.

Saint Patrick.